MADISON, Wis. -- The Wisconsin men's soccer team will play seven of its final nine matches at home this fall, according to the 2010 schedule released Wednesday by first-year head coach John Trask.

The 18-game slate features 11 teams that have qualified for the NCAA tournament in the past two seasons, including seven that played in the postseason in 2009.

"I really like the way our schedule has come together from a competitive standpoint," Trask said. "The Big Ten has developed into one of the deepest conferences in the nation, and I certainly don't expect that to change.

"When you add in our non-conference schedule that includes so many programs with an NCAA tournament pedigree, it makes for a very challenging schedule."

After opening the season with seven of their first nine matches on the road, the Badgers will spend much of the final month of the season at the McClimon Complex.

UW will play seven home matches between Oct. 6 and Nov. 6, including three Big Ten Conference games.

That run begins with a mid-week contest against Northern Illinois on Oct. 6 and features a Big Ten match against Michigan on Oct. 10 that will serve as the second half of a doubleheader with the UW women's team.

After a road match against Michigan State a week later on Oct. 17, the Badgers return to McClimon for a three-match homestand that includes mid-week contests against in-state rivals Green Bay (Oct. 20) and Milwaukee (Oct. 27), as well as a conference matchup with Northwestern on Oct. 23.

The team's final road match of the year follows against Ohio State on Oct. 31, before the Badgers return home to face UIC on Nov. 3 and close out the Big Ten slate against Penn State on Nov. 6.

The season begins with matches against Santa Clara and UC Irvine as part of the UC Irvine College Classic the weekend of Sept. 4-6. A pair of road matches against Florida International and Florida Atlantic follow the weekend of Sept. 10-12 in the Miami, Fla., metro area.

The Badgers play host to their annual home invitational at the McClimon Complex the following weekend and will face off with San Diego State on Friday, Sept. 17, before closing the event against Dayton on Sunday, Sept. 19.

Three challenging road matches follow, beginning with a trip to Omaha, Neb., to face Creighton on Sept. 24, a matchup against in-state rival Marquette on Sept. 28 and the Badgers' Big Ten opener at Indiana on Oct. 3.